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Ask HN: Cost of living across the world (Ramen PPP Index for hackers)

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Re: Ask HN: Cost of living across the world (Ramen PPP Index for hackers)

#51

Post by billpaetzke »

jacquesm wrote: post #33
ced wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Savings. While in Germany, I had a good (tax-free) stipend and I was hoarding ~800 euros/month, for a year. Living in Asia was an amazing experience, but honestly, there isn't that much "adventure" to write about. I wasn't traveling, since that's expensive-ish. My primary goal was to do research in AI. That turned out to be quite challenging, with the lack of good libraries and peers, but the freedom to work on whate…

Ok. Man I'm jealous ;) Not with the money, but with the trip :) If you have the time please write it up while it is still fresh in your memory, so that us 'armchair Asia goers' can look through your eyes.

I'm a programmer that saved up money, quit my job, and traveled around Southeast Asia for four months (in 2009). I blogged almost every day. I took some great photos, too.

Have fun browsing my stuff...

Top 100 photos: http://billpaetzke.smugmug.com/Travel/Best-of-Southeast-Asia...

Travel Blog: http://www.bp321.com/travels/

(I'm back in LA working, by the way).

Re: Ask HN: Cost of living across the world (Ramen PPP Index for hackers)

#52

Post by zalew »

adlep wrote: post #46
zalew wrote: post #32

Warsaw, Poland - single room flat $400-500 + expenses - internet 6Mbps $20 - public transport $50 - restaurant downtown $10-30, sushi $30-40, kebab $3-4, mcdonald $4 - beer in a club/restaurant $3-4, 0.5 can of heineken $1.6, marlboro $4 wages are really flexible (to call it nicely), if you have clients you can make more on freelancing than even some good programmers on 9to5, a lot of good programmers are paid below…

$500.00 for a single room flat in Warsaw == 1500PLN Are you sure it is that much? Also, I call BS on "specialist" making 9000 PLN a month P.S. Official median salary in PL is 1500PLN a month.

$400-500 = 1100-1400pln, these are prices for a single-room downtown, currently I'm looking for one and that's it for me (quick proof: http://goo.gl/q0uB ), I mean you can find better and you can find worse, but that's a reasonable price for a reasonable location.

You mean 9kpln too low or too high? I said 'from' and know people who make more (10-14k java certificated dudes with enterprise background) if that's what you're implying.

Official median salary in PL is 1500PLN a month.

Official median has been around 3000pln for years, not 1500pln, where did you get it from? Although, the truth is that the most common pay is still around 2000pln gros (GUS stats) for Poland overall, maybe that's what you're talking about. Warsaw is always a bit higher.

Re: Ask HN: Cost of living across the world (Ramen PPP Index for hackers)

#53

Post by prateekdayal »

gregschlom wrote: post #47

I'm currently bootstrapping a startup on my savings, with no incomes. I moved from Paris to Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam). It's a very inexpensive place to live in. - Room on a flat: $150-$200 - Food: $120

I was in Ho Chi Minh for the last two months. Its certainly a great place to live in and do a startup out of. How long are you planning to stay there?

Re: Ask HN: Cost of living across the world (Ramen PPP Index for hackers)

#54

Post by kawera »

rglullis wrote: post #38
kawera wrote: post #34

São Paulo, Brazil - converted to US$ Expenses - Rent: small 300sqf one bedroom unfurnished apartment + utilities, in average area - $900/month - Internet: $60 for 5mbps - Cell phone: $150 for 300 minutes - Bus or Metro ticket: $1.50 - Petrol: $5.20/gallon - Movie ticket: $12 - Pizza, takeaway: $15 - Pizza, in restaurant: $25 - BigMac: $6 - Eating out, mid-market: $50 for 2 people - Bread, whole: $3/pound - Oranges: $…

The dollar is what, now? R$1,70? I guess we are talking about nicer areas, like Pinheiros, Vila Madalena or even Jardins. R$1500,00 for a 300sqf apartment? That is really, really expensive. For that price you can get a 2 1/2 bedroom close to Morumbi or Brooklyn. Also, $4 for a beer? It has to be a really trendy, high-end club. How much does a large bottle of Original/Bohemia cost at a bar, or at a deli (padaria)? Als…

Crowdsourced:

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city_result.jsp?country...

Re: Ask HN: Cost of living across the world (Ramen PPP Index for hackers)

#55

Post by rglullis »

kawera wrote: post #50
rglullis wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The dollar is what, now? R$1,70? I guess we are talking about nicer areas, like Pinheiros, Vila Madalena or even Jardins. R$1500,00 for a 300sqf apartment? That is really, really expensive. For that price you can get a 2 1/2 bedroom close to Morumbi or Brooklyn. Also, $4 for a beer? It has to be a really trendy, high-end club. How much does a large bottle of Original/Bohemia cost at a bar, or at a deli (padaria)? Als…

Rent for small apartments close to the Green or Yellow lines are in the R$1000-1200 range for rent only. You must add charges("condominio"), electricity and tax("iptu"). I have two units, one close to Clinicas hospital, another close to Ana Rosa station, that I rent for R$1200 each, plus charges of around R$350 each. At a far-from-trendy mid-market bar, the going price for a large bottle of Original is in the R$6-7 r…

> São Paulo isn't cheap.

Truer words are rarely spoken. To live a fairly "average" standard of living compared to any North American or European city, São Paulo costs way more.

But I guess what I'm trying to say is that São Paulo has a very high degree of variability. It can be cheaper, if you are willing to let go of certain things.

For instance:

- why living "by the rivers", you can live on the East Side or closer to the South? Saúde, Ipiranga... good neighborhoods but much cheaper. Downtown (Centrão) São Paulo also still has a lot of stigma, so prices are lower than the West side.

- The R$250 phone plan is a luxury, if you enjoy it and can afford, more power to you. But it isn't a necessity.

- I wouldn't go out at any place where a beer costs 6 bucks. I wouldn't go to a place where they have a minimum charge of R$40, like many do in the neighborhoods you mentioned.

- Why buy a Mac, if you can go to Santa Ifigênia and get a more-than-decent box for R$800?

Re: Ask HN: Cost of living across the world (Ramen PPP Index for hackers)

#56

Post by rglullis »

Can someone please do it for Prague? Or Budapest?

As someone who used to live in (very expensive for non-basic necessities, cheap for basic necessities) São Paulo and moved to (reasonably cheaper for non-basic necessities, way more expensive for rent and food) Boston, when I went to Prague it felt cheap.

I found 4-star hotels in Prague 1 for the price of not-that-great hostels in London, €18/day. I'd go to a bar or a club and pay €1.50 for a pint of beer. I could get a day pass at the tram/bus for Czk 100 (about €4). I heard that a 2-bedroom downtown goes for about €600-700. Internet would be €50/month.

If someone can give more accurate prices or tell me how it's going for Budapest, I can guarantee you one karma point. :)

Re: Ask HN: Cost of living across the world (Ramen PPP Index for hackers)

#57

Post by eliben »

rarestblog wrote: post #8

Moscow, Russia typ. exp: ~600$ per each family member for food/clothes/utilities (no fancy stuff) 700-1200$ renting 1 room apt. 20$ internet (10MBit+ is common) extras: 60-100$ meal for 2 at *reasonably* priced restaurant 15$ movie ticket 10-20$ taxi ride 1$ ramen noodles (called "Doshirak" here) 2.5$ BigMac avg. salary IT (after tax) $700-1500/mth (mostly around $1000/mth)

Wow, that sounds totally unlivable

Re: Ask HN: Cost of living across the world (Ramen PPP Index for hackers)

#60

Post by eliben »

clueless123 wrote: post #41

Lima, Peru on the upscale side of town (Miraflores) Rent $500 for a nice aptmnt near everything. Food from a $2 "menu" meal on the street (soup, main dish , desert and drink) to $50 on sushi with drinks at a fancy place. 3G unlimited Internet $50/month ~ 4Mbps (so they claim) cable $50/month Taxi anywhere in town anything you could possibly need for hardware hacks (cooling stuff, routers, antennas, mods, laptop repai…

Oh, Miraflores. Such a nice part of Lima (an otherwise rather unpleasant city).
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